Management Perspectives

According to the ICUBETM report by Kantar, December 2020 ended with an active internet user base of 639 million. Classrooms went online and e-learning emerged as the new trend. Workforces settled into a ‘work from home’ module and the ‘Vocal for Local’ businesses gained rapid recognition. The world witnessed a massive wave of digitalisation, as 2020 proved that remote working is here to stay. It also established the fact that every individual as well as business, needs a contingency plan.

But questions kept surfacing constantly: ‘Is this wave an all-encompassing one?’ or ‘Is it for a selected few?’ And if this wave is not inclusive enough to uplift everyone, then how are we going to sustain the pace of the evolving technology?

During the pandemic, professionals across industries, geographies, genders, as well as age groups got drawn into the ‘tech-wave’. From banking and payments to consumption of video content across OTT platforms to consistently engaging over social media portals, digital inclusion became essential. To put it simply, this wave of digital solutions became a self-sustaining medium of user-generated content. It comprised availability, accessibility, operational feasibility, and most importantly, a spectrum of diverse users.

But, have organisations been successful in securing a digitally inclusive future for their users?
Most of these digital solutions have not been designed for mass use. Instead, they are marketed with targeted USP and predominantly attract the corporate and MNC crowds. In today’s lingo, the urban millennials. These solutions are constantly evolving and integrating new competitive features. But they seem to hardly ever consider the aspect of being user-friendly or even user-centric in design. In user interface, less is more and very few applications have been designed to provide a natural user experience. Therefore, the more we replicate common, humanised behaviour in digital interactions, the more the adoption will increase.

Rising beyond the barriers
How would your users know the benefits of going digital if it has not been communicated in the right manner? Will they be able to adapt if they have not received any form of training or mentoring?

Misinformation in the press is becoming an alarming issue as bombardment of communications can be detrimental. Take the example of everyday television advertisements by banks, issuing warnings about not sharing personal data or OTPs—for every person that it manages to alert, there are some that may take a complete aversion to the very existence of digital banking. Besides, exaggerated stories doing rounds on WhatsApp, further add to the fear of the unknown for embracing digital.

Therefore, just as people are taught how to drive carefully instead of being scared into not driving at all, a better way would be to teach safe and beneficial use of digital before thrusting it upon them. Changing the human mindset is a continuous and everyday process. Using informative campaigns and creating an interactive omni-channel presence to address queries will help people transition better into the digital world.

Flexibility is essential
Human interactions are based on experiences. It forms the basis of our ability to absorb and analyse the information, before we make any decision. Whereas, AI and ML tools use preprogrammed mechanisms that come across as impersonal. It is either a 'Yes, I can help you with your concern” or “No, I am unable to process your inputs.”

For example, you log onto a portal that allows you to order a newspaper online. It gives you a drop-down list of newspapers. But if you are looking for a particular newspaper, say for example The Hindu, and the chatbot does not have the specified name in its list, it may not be able to recommend an alternative, unless, it has been designed or trained to do so. Whereas, if it were to be a human interaction, the solution could be, “Hey, the Indian Express is very similar to The Hindu. Why not try that instead?”

E-commerce giants like Amazon are beginning to get a hang of it but are still in a nascent stage. There are alternative suggestions based on past purchase history of the consumer. But trusting a new brand takes time and there is no way to compare the quality, unless you experience it yourself.

Demystifying the complexities

According to Capgemini’s report on ‘The Great Digital Divide’, 36 per cent people claim that complexity of using the internet restrains them from making the most of the available technology. While some find it hard to upgrade and keep up, some struggle with the mere technicalities.

To ease the process of purchase for consumers, Brandsa lot of digital first brands have integrated an OTP verification system into their payment gateway. But expecting the generation currently in their fifties and sixties to adopt as easily, is unfortunately a misjudged assumption. Instead, can there be a better solution developed? A voice recognition mechanism or even facial recognition, perhaps? Could symbols or voice control be used with customisable access to reduce the dependency on typing?

Digital literacy that empowers the digitally excluded to access more online opportunities has to be implemented across sectors. Brands often disregard the demographics and neglect the existing inter-generational gaps amidst the users. Simplification of technologies is therefore the key to driving an impactful digital transformation.

Digital era is largely driven by data

The internet age has created a digital divide in our existing society—one spectrum being called the ‘digital natives’ and the others labelled as ‘digital immigrants’. For decades, digital growth has been driven by private enterprises. But today, when its penetration has expanded across different markets, an intervention is critical. There is a rising demand for a people-centric public policies that protect the privacy of its users.

The future is definitely driven by digital and digital inclusion will be incomplete if it does not cater to a diverse plethora of user base. Investing in tech without mapping out sustained improvement or relevant communications, is like shooting an arrow in the dark. Therefore, while maximising the use of digital, one also needs to consider how the tech-first digital initiatives can truly be inclusive.